The conductor of these concerts has not a single requisite for his
office--he is several degrees less personable than M. Jullien--he does not
even wear moustaches! and to suppose that a man can beat time properly
without them is ridiculous. He looks a great deal more like a modest,
respectable grocer, than a man of genius; for he neither turns up his eyes
nor his cuffs, and has the indecency to appear without white gloves! His
manners, too, are an insult to the lovers of the thunder and lightning
school of music; he neither conducts himself, nor his band, with the least
grace or _éclat_. He does not spread out both arms like a goose that wants
to fly, while hushing down a _diminuendo_; nor gesticulate like a madman
during the fortes; in short, he only gives out the time in passages where
the players threaten unsteadiness; and as that is very seldom, those
amateurs who pay their money only for the pleasure of seeing the _bâton_
flourished about, are defrauded of half their amusement. M. Musard takes
them in--for it must be evident, even to them, that what we have said is
true, and that he possesses scarcely a qualification for the office he
holds--if we make one trifling exception (hardly worth mentioning)--for he
is nothing more than, merely, a first-rate musician. With this single
accomplishment, it is like his impudence to try and foist himself upon the
Cockney _dilettanti_ after M. Jullien, who possessed every other requisite
for a conductor _but_ a knowledge of the science; which is, after all, a
paltry acquirement, and purely mechanical.
On the evening PUNCH was present, the usual dose of quadrilles and waltzes
was administered, with an admixture from the dull scores of Beethoven.
Disgusted as we were at the humbug of performing the works of this master
without blue-fire, and an artificial storm in the flies, yet--may we
confess it?--we were nearly as much charmed by the "Andante" from his
Symphonia in A, as if the lights had been put out to give it effect. We
blush for our taste, but thank our _stars_ (Jullien included) that we have
the courage to own the soft impeachment in the face of an enlightened
Concert d'Eté patronising public. In sober truth, we were ravished! The
pianos of this movement were so exquisitely kept, the _ensemble_ of them
was so complete, the wind instruments were blown so exactly in tune, so
evenly in tone, that the whole passion of that touching andante seemed to
be felt by the entire band, which _went_ as one instrument. The
subject--breaking in as it does, when least expected, and worked about
through nearly every part of the score, so as to produce the most
delicious effects--was played with equal delicacy and feeling by every
performer who had to take it up; while the under-current of accompaniment
was made to blend with it with a masterly command and unanimity of tone,
that we cannot remember to have heard equalled.
Of course, this piece, though it enchanted the musical part of the
audience, disgusted the promenaders, and was received but coldly. This,
however, was made up for when the drumming, smashing, and brass-blurting
of the overture to "Zampa" was noised forth: this was encored with
ecstacies, and so were some of the quadrilles. Happy musical taste!
Beethoven's septour, arranged as a set of quadrilles, is a desecration
unworthy of Musard. For this piece of bad taste he ought to be condemned
to arrange the sailor's hornpipe, as
[Illustration: A SLOW MOVEMENT IN C (SEA).]
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